My Life Divided

By Laura Restrepo

“Ahhhh!” my mom yelled happily on the other end.

“What happened?” I asked. My mom couldn’t talk because she was very excited. I didn’t know why.

“Qué pasa Mom?” I asked.

“Immigration accepted you, and you have to travel to Bogotá, Colombia, for some exams,” she said.

I had been living apart from my mom since I was three years old. We talked on the phone often, since she was far away in North Dakota, USA. The next day, I went to school and told all of my friends that I had been accepted for immigration. I still could not believe it!

“You are going to leave me!” my best friend cried.

I walked up to her and hugged her. “I’ll never forget you. I just can’t pass up this opportunity to be with my mom again,” I said.

Nine days later, my mom bought me a plane ticket to Bogotá, a big city in Colombia. I was so afraid of getting lost and not being on time for my appointment, so I left early that morning. In the hotel where I was staying, the concierge called a taxi because some taxis on the street could kidnap you. I was a little scared, but also excited, because I did not know what was going to happen when I got to the government office.

When I eventually reached the office, many people were waiting in a line outside. I thought that I had arrived late, but when I asked an old lady, she told me that they let in ten people each time the door opened. Minutes later, the security guard opened the door. I wondered what kind of exams they would do to me.

Now was the time that I would know the answers to my questions. I was in the waiting room when, suddenly, I heard my name.

“Laura Restrepo!” the nurse shouted.

“Here,” I said, nervously.

“Walk down here,” she said. I was nervous because I’m afraid of needles. I entered the room the nurse had pointed to. A few minutes later, a different nurse entered the room where I was.

“Do the exams include needles?” I asked.

The nurse didn’t answer. After an hour, the nurse gave me a big package and told me very seriously, “Do not open this.”

Days after returning from Bogotá, I went back to school and told my friend everything that happened on my trip. My best friend was still a little angry with me, but I knew that she supported me. Soon after, my mom gave me the news that I could travel. My passport was already stamped with my American visa. I was so happy, but then I remembered my beautiful family, who I had lived with all my life. All those funny moments came to my mind so quickly, the good times with my family and friends. Weeks after, my family, friends, and I decided to have a farewell party, before the big day that I would make my journey to a new life.

Laura Restrepo, center, folds laundry with her mother while her siblings play at their home in Fargo, North Dakota. Her mother, a refugee from Colombia, co-owns a cleaning business in Fargo.

Photo by Andrew Cullen.

On March 3, 2013, everything was ready for the farewell party. Around 7 p.m., I was in my room, almost ready for the party, when I heard a knock at the door.

“Who is there?” I asked.

“Soy yo, tu abuela,” a voice said.

“One moment, I’m not ready yet!” I exclaimed.

“Quiero hablar con usted unos momentos,” my grandma responded.

“Okay, come in,” I said.

When my grandmother walked in my room, her eyes had tears of sadness. She didn’t have to say a word. I could tell what she wanted to talk about just by looking at her. I couldn’t say anything. The only thing that I could do was hug her.

The next day, my grandmother and I went to my school. I had decided to withdraw from school because the courses had just begun, and I would be leaving soon. My grandmother had the idea to visit family outside of the city. It was a crazy idea, but I liked it, so we decided to go. I didn’t really want to go because I had to do other things before going to America, but in the end, I decided to go.

Our first stop was Popayán. It is a big town, so it almost looked like a city. Popayán is four hours from Cali by car. My crazy cousins live there, but I only saw them on special occasions like Christmas and New Year’s. Then we went through a different small town that was nearby. Our last stop was a place where I had never gone. It was the family farm in the old highlands of Colombia. The estate was a little dirty. No one had been there for a while because terrorists inhabited that part of Colombia. It was great to see this part of my family’s history, because I always heard my family talking about it. No one told me what was going on, or why I had never been there before. My grandmother told me that the terrorists killed one of my uncles, so they were afraid that the terrorists would do the same to us.

After our trip, my grandmother and I decided to go buy the things I would need for my journey to America. I was very tired when I slowly walked back home from the store. My favorite uncle called me on my cell phone and told me that we were going out to eat at 8 p.m. We would have a family dinner at my favorite restaurant. This place had the best fast food ever. That was one of the best days of my life. I laughed, remembered, and cried with my whole family. The next day, I had to paint my long nails, cut my hair, and pack my pink suitcases.

At 3 a.m., my alarm sounded. I tried to turn it off, and it fell from the nightstand. I went to the bathroom and the light burned my eyes. I took a relaxing shower and then my grandmother called me for breakfast. Finally, I was ready to go.

We got in the car, and my uncle drove us to the airport. After arriving, we weighed the bags to ensure that none had passed the weight limit. My uncle and I checked in the suitcases. The person who helped us told us that my mother had paid for a stewardess to help me communicate because I did not yet speak English. Next, immigration revised my papers and permits to leave the country. Since I was only 18 years old, my parents had to sign a permission form. The stewardess told me that it was time to say goodbye to my family. It was not a very pleasant time for me. I had a lot of feelings mixed up inside. I was happy for a new life with my mother, but sad because of everything that I had to leave behind. I was in the waiting room at the airport, and the only thing that was on my mind was what I would say to my mom when I saw her.

SPANISH LANGUAGE GLOSSARY

¿Qué pasa Mom? - What happened, Mom?

Soy yo, tu abuela. - It’s me, your grandma.

Quiero hablar con usted unos momentos. - I want to talk to you for few minutes.

LAURA RESTREPO is a student at Fargo South High School. She is a senior and is eighteen years old. She is from Colombia in South America. She came to America on April 17, 2013. Her favorite classes are English and algebra II. She speaks two languages: Spanish and English. She enjoys listening to music in her free time. She wants to be a microbiologist in the future.